Monster
by Zaerith Vrinn
Summary: 2010 based. Nancy knew Freddy Krueger was a monster...Yet, a memory resurfaces that may just prove otherwise...Only romantic if you want it to be.


**Author's Note:** Just a random little one shot that popped into my head after _finally_ getting to see NOES way Gwen described the kids as being the world to Freddy, and Nancy being his favorite just made something like this make sense to me**  
Warning:** Character death, some gruesome imagery, I DO support Freddy/Nancy, and this fic _could_ be interpreted as such, but there's nothing really blatant so its only there if your looking for it. Also, since he was not mentioned in the movie, I'm making up details about new Nancy's father. **  
Disclaimer: **If I owed NOES 2010, I would have kept everyone's original names, and I probably would have killed Quinton in the movie, so no, they aren't mine.

Monster

Crying.

At first that was all Nancy could remember. It was some blocked off memory from when she was in preschool, and given what she had learned about a certain man when she was that age, she was sure she didn't really want to remember anything else. Yet, her curiosity nagged at her. Why was she crying?

The memories had started at Quinton's funeral. They'd been on a bus, a car ran a red light, both vehicles spun wildly out of control, finally the bus ended up flipping and going through a building. Nancy walked away with only minor injuries, but according to the doctors, Quinton was as good as dead in the ambulance. It was an accident…No dreams.

Freddy had not been involved.

At the funeral, Nancy had been crying, when she looked up and saw him there, his burned up form standing over Quinton's grave. Behind him, the children he had murdered all stood as they had when they were in preschool, each holding a flower for Quinton. Kris stepped forward and dropped hers on the ground and looked over at Nancy, risking a wave. Nancy was just lifting her hand in response when Freddy glanced up to see what Kris was doing out of line.

They made eye contact. Nancy tensed, expecting him to make some gruesome comment, or smirk or something, Nancy was no longer sure what she had been expecting him to do, but instead Freddy just looked and her and whispered one word.

"Remember."

At that point somebody had placed a hand on her shoulder and asked if she was alright. Freddy and the children were gone. Nancy nodded and continued to cry. That was when she remembered crying as a child.

Three weeks later it was still bugging her. When she slept she found herself either in her old school or Freddy's boiler, but she never saw the man himself. She only heard him, again and again, commanding her to remember. But remember what? She knew what he had done to her, and the other kids in her class, whatever he was trying to make her remember couldn't be good.

He was a monster, she knew that.

"Nancy."

She jumped, looking up from her drawing, her dad stood at the door. "Yeah?"

"Dinner, get your coat."

"Right…" Things had been hard lately, Freddy had killed her mother, but she couldn't tell her father that. They'd divorced when she was still a baby, he had nothing to do with Freddy's death so the Nightmare did nothing to him and Nancy figured that it was better if her father did not know.

After her mother's 'mysterious death', Nancy had been put into her father's care and moved to his house across town. It was smaller than her mother's house, but she still had her own room and an office to keep her sketches.

Nancy put her things away and grabbed her favorite purple jacket. When her father said 'dinner', it really meant they were getting fast food. They didn't talk on the way out the door, to the car, and the drive was silent. Nancy's father pulled into the parking lot of a nearby McDonald's before he finally said anything.

"You okay, Baby?" he asked, "I probably shouldn't ask, since I never knew you very well, but you seem very distant lately…"

"I'm fine Dad…" She lied, trying to open the door so she could get out.

Her father locked the door and touched her shoulder, "If this is about your boyfriend, I understand, and I'm sorry, but you have to learn to move on." He patted her shoulder, "High School romances never work out anyway sweetheart, just look at your mom and me."

"You seriously aren't helping." She snapped bitterly, "Open the door."

"I'm sorry!" He said hurriedly, "That didn't come out the way I wanted, I'm sorry!"

Nancy relaxed and sighed, "Whatever. And what exactly were you trying to say Daddy?"

"Okay," he stated, looking out the window to the sky as if he were asking for help from the night, "Listen Nancy, after you mother and I got divorced, I quit drinking, and I wanted to get back into your life, but Gwen didn't trust me. I'm sorry that I wasn't the father you wanted, but remember, I didn't get to be the father I wanted. Tragedies have a funny way of making things better in the end." He looked her in the eye, "We have a second chance here Nancy, I don't want to waste it not talking, if something ever is bothering you, I want you to come to me."

"Because you're the chief of police?" She asked managing to crack a smile.

"No." He laughed reaching over and poking her sides, "Because _I'm_ _your father_."

Nancy giggled,. "Alright, alright! Dad stop!"

He did, and opened the door, climbing out. Nancy followed, but as she reached the door a tingle went up her spine as she saw a vision of herself when she was five run past and open go into the restaurant. She felt eyes on her and turned around slowly. Freddy stood across the parking lot, he was alone this time, watching her.

"What do you want, you bastard?" she hissed.

Freddy didn't answer right away; she turned away angrily and opened the door when his voice carried across the pavement to her. "Remember me, Nancy." he said, "Remember the man, not the monster."

She turned around again, ready to ask what the hell he was talking about, but Freddy had vanished, her father stepped outside, "Hey, are you eating?" he asked.

"Y-yeah." She replied, staring at the spot Freddy had been standing only a moment ago. "I'll be right there…"

Over greasy burgers and bland fries, Nancy's father tried to talk to her, but she was too distracted. Remember the man, not the monster_…_What had that meant? She closed her eyes as she sipped at her large coke and heard the memory of her crying, but this time she surprised herself when she remembered something else.

_"Ahhh…haaa _-hic-_ Why are you leaving Freddy! Waahhh…!"_

_ "Because…I've been doing something I shouldn't be…" _

_ "…But _-hic-_ Why do you _have to _**leave**__?_-hic-_"_

_ "…Nancy…"_

"Nancy!"

"Hmmm?"

Her father waved a hand in front of her face, "Are you alright sweetie? He asked.

Nancy sighed and shook her head, "Not really…" she answered truthfully.

"What's a matter?"

She looked around at the crowed fast food place, all the families with innocent children and shook her head again, "Not here Daddy," she said," I'll tell you when we go home…"

He looked like he was going to protest, but he simply nodded. "When we get to the car." He enforced.

"Okay."

They finished their dinner in complete silence. Nancy focused on her memory, trying to remember more, but noting else came back. What was that anyway? Her father went back up to the cashier and ordered them Mcflurries for the ride back, maybe hoping that the cold treat would make things easier for Nancy.

The moment they pulled out of the parking lot she told him everything she knew, minus the part about Freddy coming back to kill them from beyond the grave. That he had been a friend to the children at first, then a nightmare, and how her mother had confessed to joining a group of parents, including Quinton's father in secretly murdering Freddy by burning him alive.

"Oh my God…" Her father mused, "My little girl, going through something like that…Jesus Christ! I can't believe there are people fucked up enough to do sick shit like that! Son of a Bitch!"

"Daddy…" Nancy started, but the light turned red and her father stopped to look at her.

"Honey, if I had known, I would have had him in prison in a heartbeat, you know that, right? Sure I would have loved to watch him burn, but that's not how the world works, we have a judicial system for a reason."

"I know Daddy, but…" She trailed off thinking back to her memory in McDonald's.

"But what?"

"I'm…starting to think there was something else that mom and the other parents didn't know…" she said, "Something that-I don't know…I can't remember!" She leaned her head against the window, one frustrated tear lid down her cheek.

"Well, if you can't remember, it must not be that important." He said as he pulled into their drive way.

Nancy stepped out of the car and looked up. Freddy stood across the street, the little five-year-old version of herself stood next him, in her favorite white dress, holding his hand. "No." Nancy whispered into the cold night air, "I can't remember because it _was_ important…" Freddy nodded slowly, but said nothing. She turned away and ran into the house, up the stairs to her room.

_Remember the man, not the monster._

Nancy flopped down on her bed, hugging her pillow. That morning she knew Freddy was a monster, but now she wasn't so sure anymore. She closed her eyes, "What the fuck are you try to tell me?" She whispered.

It came to her like a dream…maybe it was a dream, maybe Freddy was tired of waiting for her to figure it out on her own. Or maybe this was her own power, whatever it was; it would shock Nancy as much as her other repressed memories.

_She was running, a drawing in hand. Little Nancy turned a corner and glanced around. There he was! She broke into another run and tackled the man with the force of any child with endless energy, "Freddy!" She cried happily._

_ "Ooof!" He grunted as he was knocked to his side from where he had been kneeling in the grass, pulling weeds from the soil around the rose bush. His surprised mumble turned into a laugh as he rolled onto his back "Hey there, Little Nancy! What do you have there?" He smiled, taking the picture, which survived the tackle without so much as a wrinkle, out of her hands._

_ "Its my bestest yet!" She chirped, "For you!"_

_ Freddy looked at the picture, which was a drawing (not very well done as compared to her standards when she got older, but still impressive for a child her age) of the two of them on the playground holding hands, her messy hand writing scribbled out 'friends forever' across the top of the page._

_ Nancy smiled brightly, but Freddy's face darkened, she cocked her head, "You don't like it?" she asked._

_ "No, no, I love it! It's beautiful!" He said with a smile patting her head, he looked back and forth from the drawing and her, "Nancy, I…need to talk to you for a moment." He said standing up and brushing the dirt off his jeans, "Come with me."_

_ She took his hand and said in a hushed voice, "To the secret cave?" her eyes lit up like she was excited about some startling adventure._

_ Freddy shrugged, "Sure why not?"_

_ Nancy spoke really fast while they walked to the basement of the school, jumping to every topic from the dream she had last night of the bunny she saw on the road on the way to school. Freddy smiled and laughed, and managed to get a word or two in here and there, but mostly kept quiet. They crawled, one at a time through the small tunnel that led into the hidden room which the children had dubbed Freddy's 'secret cave'. _

_ Nancy ran over to a box in the corner and slipped her drawing into it. Freddy opened his mouth and said the words that broke her heart, "Nancy, I'm leaving."_

_ She turned around slowly and saw the seriousness in his face. Tears bubbled up in her eyes as she asked why. Freddy tried to explain, but Nancy only cried harder._

_ "Ahhh…haaa _-hic-_ W-why are you leaving Freddy! Waahhh…!"_

_ Freddy walked to her side and put an arm around her shoulder "Because…" He said softly, "I've been doing something I shouldn't be…" _

_ "…But _-hic-_ Why do you _have to _**leave**__?_-hic-_" She sobbed._

_ "…Nancy…" He patted her back gently, "I already handed in my two weeks notice."_

_ She hugged him, still crying "Don't go Freddy, I love you!" She begged sobbing into his chest, he continued patting her back comfortingly._

_ "I love you too, little Nancy." The older man said soothingly, "That's why I have to go." _

_ For several minutes they stayed like that, until at last Nancy had dried up enough to look him in the face, "Will you come back?" She asked._

_ "…Maybe one day." Freddy replied._

_ "Promise?"_

_ "Yeah, I promise."_

_ She smiled, "Then, when you do… I'll be your bride!" She declared._

_ Freddy appeared to be thrown for a loop by that statement, "Um…What?"_

_ "I asked Mommy about it yesterday." She explained, "When two people love each other, they get married and the girl becomes the bride!"_

_ "Ah…I see now," He smiled, "Well, little Nancy, I hate to break it to you, but that's not _exactly_ how it works." The little girl began to sniff again, Freddy lifted his hand to her face and wiped her tears away, "Okay, listen, you can't be my bride, but I promise when I come back I'll come and play with you again. Is that alright?"_

_ She lifted her small hands and extended her little finger, "Promise?" She asked again._

_ Freddy hesitated a moment, but offered his finger, "Yes, but you have to promise _never_ to tell anyone what happened in here." He said, nodding to the secret cave as he curled his pinky around hers._

_ "I Promise Freddy."_

_ "Remember, you're special." _He said, his voice started to fade as the older girl started to come out of her trace,_ "You'll always be my Little Nancy…"_

Nancy blinked staring at the ceiling, "No way…" She muttered to herself.

_Her mother lifter her shirt, "Nancy?" She asked suddenly, "What's this?" She said tracing a scar on her daughter's back._

_ Nancy's heart raced as she remembered her promise to never tell. "I hurt myself." She said simply._

_ "Baby, it looks like you got attacked by a bear!" Her mother cried softly._

_ She started to panic, "I was!" She blurted, "I was attacked by a bear!"_

_ "No you weren't Honey!" Her mother argued, "Now tell me what really happened." Nancy shook her head, Gwen asked again, and again, Nancy refused to speak, tears started to well in her eyes. "Nancy, what's a matter?"_

_ The little girls sniffed, and said the only thing she could come up with to change the subject, the truth, "Freddy's leaving…"_

Nancy sat up in her bed. Wait a minute… "I never told my mom what Freddy did." She realized. "She had to have found out from the other parents…"

"Yes." She didn't jump, Freddy stood in her doorway, but as he was when she was little. He had no burns, and was pulling his shaggy dark hair out of his face. "Your mother never knew what I did to you kids that might be why she was so hesitant about what _they_ did to _me_." He seemed distant as if recalling this fact for the first time himself.

He lifted his gloved hand to his face, it was shaking and he stared at it almost in horror before he tore it off and threw it against the wall. He stood there a moment staring at it on the floor as if in a trace, Nancy clutched her pillow harder, "Freddy?" She said weakly.

He turned to her, and walked slowly to her bed, "Nancy…" He breathed, lifting up his clawed hand. She jumped backward a bit, so did Freddy, they both glanced to the spot where he had thrown the glove only a moment ago; it had vanished and reappeared on his hand. Nancy took hold of it and tried to slip it off again, Freddy stopped her, "There's no use, it's a part of me now." He said.

She looked at him as if he'd just said, '_I have gills! Want to see them?'_, "Part of you?" She repeated.

He looked at his glove, the metal claws glimmered in the moonlight, he turned to her again, his eyes were sad and guilty, "I tried so hard to stay human…" he whispered.

"What?"

Instead of answering, Freddy reached forward again, using his claws to gently move some hair behind her ear, then he touched them to her forehead. A small, cold shock ran down her body. In the blink of an eye she was back in the basement of the Preschool, Freddy's home. He stood not far away, clutching a phone to his ear.

"Hello? Westin Hills Psychiatric Hospital? Yes. This is Fred Krueger calling for Doctor Samson, is he in? Yes? Yeah, I'll hold."

Nancy watched him as he stood tapping his foot and glancing to the door, his eyes passed her body, but did not see her._ This is his memory_. She realized.

"Yes, hello?" Freddy said into the receiver, "Yeah, I'm calling about my appointment. Seven? Yes, that's fine." He looked at his watch, "I can be there in an hour if I catch the bus. Yes, thank you."

He hung up the phone, and grabbed something off his desk, the pictures Quinton had found, or would find in a few years, and put them in a box, he crawled into the secret cave and hid the box. "I should probably burn them." He whispered, "I don't know if I could handle looking at them again."

He turned back and headed out. He made it several blocks, almost to the bus stop when he heard a horn honk "KRUEGER!" A man shouted out the window of a vehicle. Freddy turned around and dived off the road as the car went straight for him. "KRUEGER YOU BASTARD COME OUT HERE!

Somebody had told. He was in trouble. Nancy watched them chase him down, as Quinton had when Freddy had shown him this memory. She saw her mother try to talk them out of it, to get the police involved, but before she knew it, Nancy saw the building in flames, heard Freddy's terrified screams and watched him bust down the door. He cried out in pain and rage as his body was consumed by hungry fires.

Freddy removed his hand, and wiped away her tears as he had when she was a child. "I…I knew I what I was doing to you kids was wrong. It dawned on me one day when I was playing a game with you." he said, "After that it wasn't long before I realized I needed to get away from you and get help. If the other kids had just kept their promises like you had, no one would have ever known."

Nancy felt a pang of guilt, "You'd still be alive…" She said, "None of this would have happened."

Freddy shook his head. "No, it wouldn't have." He agreed.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. _You_ didn't do anything wrong." He said, then he slung his arm around her shoulder, "I should thank you really."

"For what?" She asked.

Freddy pointed to himself, "You remembered." He explained, "You were special, I _cared_ about you, Nancy, more than anyone else…It took a while, but you finally remembered me as the man I was before I…" he trailed off, not wanting to discuss what he had become.

Realization dawned on Nancy again, "The other kids remembered a monster, so you became one…And then their memories twisted mine…"  
"I suppose…" He said.

They sat in silence for a moment before Nancy started to cry again, Freddy asked her what was wrong, "I-if I had r-remembered s-s-sooner, you wouldn't h-have-"

He cut her off, "Nancy, don't." He looked her in the eyes, "Whatever happens, just know it wasn't your fault. _Ever_."

"What do you mean, 'whatever happens'?" She asked.

Freddy looked away, "I can't stay here, the other children turned me into a monster, and monsters have certain obligations-"

"-But you're not a monster anymore!" Nancy protested.

"To you." Freddy explained, "But once you wake up, I'll just turn back into a monster…after I died I became something _worse_, I can't explain, but I have to go…" he clicked his claws, "I have to _kill_."

"Why did you come here then!" She demanded, "Why did you make me remember the man if you couldn't stay that way!

Freddy looked at the ground, "You kept your promise, I should keep mine.' He shut his eyes and covered them with his hands, "One, two, three, four, five…"

Nancy waited a moment, Freddy paused in his counting to warn her she wouldn't be able to find a good place to hide if she didn't get moving, and finally she turned and ran. As her legs propelled her down the hall flashes of herself playing with the other kids and Freddy flashed before her mind's eye and a joy filled her, the joy of an innocent child.

Downstairs she found a cupboard was just big enough for her to crawl into. She curled up and slowed her breathing enough that it was hardly audible. _Why am I playing with him?_ Nancy thought suddenly, _He killed my friends…_ It occurred to her that it might be a trap. He could be trying to lure her into a false sense of security.

"…Thirty-five, thirty-six, thirty-seven, thirty-eight, thirty-nine, forty..."

She froze, her heart thumping madly.

"Forty-eight, forty-nine, fifty, ready or not here comes Freddy!"

He came down the stairs, his footsteps thumped loudly and she could hear him muttering to himself as he looked around trying to decide where to look first.

_No,_ she thought,_ a monster killed them, forget the monster, remember Freddy only. _She stayed quiet, and a few times Freddy passed right by her, but at last, the cupboard door opened and Freddy smiled. "Found you!"

Nancy laughed and opened her eyes. It was morning, Freddy was gone. A smile still lingered on her lips, and she remembered everything.

_"What game should we play tomorrow?" _Freddy's voice whispered in her still sleepy mind.

She sighed, looking up at the ceiling. "Tag." She answered

Nancy laid on her bed for a few more minutes before getting up, for the first time in what seemed an eternity, she couldn't wait for the day to be over so she could go back to sleep.

**Author's End note:** See? Little random one-shot, I hope you liked it.


End file.
